1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to seat assemblies, and more specifically, to collapsible seat assemblies.
2. Background Art
Passenger vehicles having multiple rows of seats have been popular for many years. Vehicles that are capable of hauling cargo have also been popular for many years due to their utility. Passenger vehicles are continuously evolving to be utilized for hauling cargo as well.
For example, the prior art has provided sedans, which have at least two rows of seats for seating two rows of passengers. Sedans have been provided with rear bench seats having a foldable seat back for extending the cargo-carrying capacity of the trunk into the passenger compartment of the automobile. Such cargo-carrying capacity is limited by the trunk dimensions.
Another offering of the prior art includes station wagons having two or three rows of seats. The third row of seats may be provided rearward of the rear axle and the third row of seats may be recessed lower than the second row of seats without interfering with the drivetrain to enhance cargo-carrying capacity of this region. In station wagons, when the third row is folded, a load floor is provided upon the third row of seats.
Another offering of the prior art includes sport utility vehicles, which are often referred to as SUVs. SUVs may also include two or three rows of seats, wherein the second or third row of seats may be removed. Other offerings include seats or seat rows that may be collapsed. Since many SUVs utilize rear wheel drive, four wheel drive, or all wheel drive, clearance must be provided beneath the floor plan for the drivetrain from the vehicle's engine to extend to the rear wheels.
Accordingly, the prior art discloses SUVs having a third row of seats wherein the third row seat bottom detaches from the seat back and is translated to the floor adjacent the second row of seats. The third row becomes completely collapsed by pivoting the third row seat back forward to a collapsed position atop the seat bottom. Such disclosures also utilize a collapsible second row of seats for providing cargo space. The second row of seats often includes a seat back that pivots toward a seat bottom in a collapsed orientation. The collapsed second and third rows often provide a load floor upon the rear surfaces of the second and third seat backs.
These collapsible seat assemblies often require load floor flaps for covering gaps provided between sequential seat assemblies.
A further offering of such prior art SUV seat assemblies is a second row of seats that collapse and pivot toward the first row for permitting ingress and egress of passengers through a second row of doors and to-and-from the third row of seats.
Accordingly, these prior art SUV seating arrangements provide clearance between the second row of seats and the first row of seats in the collapsed orientation such that the second row of seats may temporarily occupy the clearance for access to the third row of seats.
Another offering of the prior art includes vans and minivans, which commonly utilize a generally planar floor plan that does not require various floor plan elevations as do sedans, station wagons, and SUV's. Vans and minivans have been provided with multiple rows of seats wherein seat assemblies may be mounted to tracks formed within the floor. The seats may be adjusted lengthwise within the vehicle and may also be extracted from the vehicle for providing cargo space. However, removal of seat assemblies may be burdensome to the average consumer and may lack convenience by temporarily limiting the passenger capacity of the given vehicle.
Accordingly, the prior art has offered vans or minivans having seat assemblies that collapse and are stored within storage compartments displaced below the floor of the vehicle interior. Such prior art vehicles provide vast capacity for transporting cargo. The trade-offs, however, include limits imposed upon the vehicle drivetrain. For example, by providing a compartment beneath a second row of seats, the given vehicle may be limited from utilization of rear wheel drive, four wheel drive, or all wheel drive by lacking clearance for drivetrain components such as a driveshaft to extend from a front-mounted engine to the rear wheels of the vehicle.
The prior art has offered seat assemblies having armrests for enhancing the comfort of passengers therein. Armrests are often pivotally mounted to a given seat assembly for permitting ingress or egress into the corresponding seat. However, armrests may add to the complexity of the seat assembly and often include advantages for seating of passengers, but fail to enhance transportation of cargo.
In light of the foregoing, what is needed is a collapsible seat assembly for a vehicle that satisfies transportation of a passenger or cargo. What is also needed is an armrest assembly that benefits transportation of the passenger or cargo. Further, a method for collapsing a seat assembly in a motor vehicle is needed.